Red Noise was the band Bill Nelson formed after disbanding the glorious Be Bop Deluxe in the late 1970s. Putting his name in the band’s title wasn’t Bill’s idea.
It was apparently at the insistence of the record company who though a band named Red Noise wouldn’t sell so having Bill’s name in there would help with the commercial aspects.
Bill was always moving forwards with Be Bop trying differing things and gradually moving towards the more electronic aspects as they emerged in the 1970s.
Indeed, Be Bop’s final album – Drastic Plastic – was intended to be the first Red Noise album until Bill was persuaded to have it go out as a Be Bop Deluxe album.
Red Noise’s Sound on Sound was originally issued in 1979. Bill going full on electro new wave style with a series of short, urgent, spiky, edgy songs with a dystopian feel to them. The image was far removed from Be Bop also. Gone were the huge collared shirts, kipper ties and massive flares. In came the Chinese Chairman Mao style tunics and short cropped haircuts.
I recall rushing out to buy Sound on Sound one Saturday afternoon as soon as it was issued. Since then it has remained one of my favourite albums still sounding fresh today just over forty years later.
Bill was ahead of his time. Not only a sublime and fluid guitarist – also something of an innovator always evolving as evidenced with Red Noise.
Don’t’ Touch Me (I’m Electric) is an attention-grabbing opener. Fast paced, weird time changes and spitting, venomous vocals. For Young Moderns being a slower affair with a great hook in there. Stop Go Stop marvellously punchy before the excellent Furniture Music ploughs in with a simple riff in a sort of Talking Heads style.
Radar in my Hear and Stay Young go back to the new wave/electronic spikeyness somewhat similar to say XTC.
The entire album is that bit different and refreshing. Bar one brief solo in The Atom Age Bill stays away from the “guitar hero” tag though there is plenty of punch to everything.
The closing trio of the Atom Age, Art/Empire/Industry and Revolt Into Style in particular being evidence of this. Here is Revolt Into Style. Give it a listen.
There wouldn’t be anything further from Red Noise bar Sound on Sound – more’s the pity – however it has been reissued in two formats. An expansive box set and a two-CD version.
If you’re an old Be Bop Deluxe/Bill Nelson fan like yours truly you’ll surely want to box set. Over six CDs/DVDs there’s the original album remastered with bonus tracks and a Friday Rock Show session, a live CD of a performance from Leicester on the tour, various other remixes and sessions, on Old Grey Whistle Test session and – for me the “jewel in the crown – a CD of Bill’s home demos for the album. So interesting to compare the demos with the finished product.
There’s also a 60 page book with Bill’s recollections of the recoding and band in general, lots of photographs etc, replica tour program, poster and post cards.
Alternatively, the two-CD version comprises the remastered album, a new stereo mix, two tracks from a 1979 EP and studio session from May 1979.
Red Noise may have been a one-off For Bill, though it’s top class stuff and as fresh today as it was in 1979.
The big box version is (as I type this post) available on Amazon for around £60. Check it out here:
https://amzn.to/3TIazaU
The two-CD version is here if you prefer that:
https://amzn.to/3RAAEXS
Check out the box set of Live in the Air Age – classic live album from Be Bop Deluxe. Bill and the band on top form.